1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multi-use vacuum cleaner, and, more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having a vacuum module comprising a cyclonic dirt separator which is detachably mounted to a power foot and upright support member.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multi-use vacuum cleaner capable for use as an upright vacuum or as a detachable vacuum module is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,321 to Weaver et al., issued Jun. 11, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,600 to Weaver et al. issued May 10, 1994. A detachable vacuum module is selectively mounted to the foot and support member of an upright vacuum cleaner. The vacuum module includes the vacuum motor, motor driven fan, vacuum bag and hose. The vacuum cleaner may be operated as an upright vacuum, or alternatively, the module can be separated from the foot and upright support member to be used independently of and at a great distance from the foot and upright support member for a wide variety of cleaning purposes.
The U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2002/0011050 to Hansen et al., published Jan. 31, 2002, discloses a suction cleaner with a cyclonic dirt separator comprising a dirt collection assembly including a cyclonic separator having an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture, and a suction source fluidly connected with the cyclonic separator. In one embodiment, the cyclonic dirt separator includes a separator plate cooperating with the housing to separate the cyclonic separator from a dirt collecting cup. The separator plate has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the dirt tank, creating a gap between the outer edge of the separator plate and the inner wall of the cyclonic separator.